BEAUMONT – For the second-straight season, Lamar University Volleyball's Chelsea Grant was voted as a first-team All-Southland Conference honoree, but for the first time it was as an outside hitter, the league announced Wednesday afternoon.
 
Last season, the senior was an all-league middle blocker, but this season she moved to the outside to help the Cardinals in the 2016 season. It is her third overall league honor, she was a second-team member after the 2014 season.
 
She is the first Cardinal to be named to all-conference – with the exclusion of honorable mention – since Natalie Sarver (2000-02).
 
"This is a well-deserved honor. Chelsea is a kid who in the final stages of her career changed positions for the good of the team," said head coach Alan Edwards.
 
She led the Southland Conference in kills per set at 3.78, and torched Southland Conference teams to the tune of 4.12 kills per set. The next highest count is Bailey Banks' 3.84 from Houston Baptist.
 
"Not only did she survive the switch, but she excelled at it," said Edwards. "She led the league in kills per set, which is incredibly impressive and is a testament to how hard she worked. This is a nice reward for a kid who is dedicated to her team and teammates."
 
Twice this year, the Killeen native put down 28 kills in a single match – which tied the fourth-highest mark in school history. Against McNeese, she recorded her 28 on 57 attacks for a .368 attack mark, but then upped that to a .375 hitting percentage against Houston Baptist. She only had seven errors in each of those matches. Including those two, she topped 20 kills in a single match three times (22 at Houston Baptist).
 
Grant recorded 17-straight matches with 10 or more kills to end the year and had 24 10-plus matches in the 28 contests all season.
 
She finished her career with 1,100 kills and is the 19^th member of the 1,000-kill club at Lamar. She had 412 kills in 2016, which smashed her previous career-best of 302 set her freshman season. Her final attack percentage on the season was .224, best since her sophomore season.
 
Because of her move from the middle, she didn't claim the school's block record, but did finish sixth all-time. She is only the sixth player in LU history with 1,000 kills and 400 blocks.
 
For the second-straight season, she played every single set the Cardinals played, the only to do it, and started all but one match.
 
The 2015 All-Southland Conference teams are comprised of 12 first-team and six second-team members. Grant was the fifth-highest vote getter. Teams are chosen by vote of the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
 
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's Brittany Gilpin is the Southland Conference Player of the Year and head coach Steve Greene was the Coach of the Year. The Islanders also picked up the league's Libero of the Year in Kate Klepetka, Setter of the Year in Kristyn Nicholson and Newcomer of the Year in Madison Fitzsimmons. Stephen F. Austin's Ann Hollas was the Freshman of the Year.
 
Along with Grant and Gilpin on the first team was Banks, Justice Walker (SFA), Nicholson, Klepetka, Morgan Carlson (AMCC), Kayla Armer (HBU), Megan Nash (Central Arkansas), Autumn Lockley (Incarnate Word), Jordyn Vaughn (Sam Houston State) and Brooke White (SHSU).

2016 Southland Volleyball First Team All-Conference:
Brittany Gilpin, A&M-Corpus Christi
Bailey Banks, Houston Baptist
Justice Walker, Stephen F. Austin
Kristyn Nicholson, A&M-Corpus Christi
Chelsea Grant, Lamar
Kate Klepetka, A&M-Corpus Christi
Kayla Armer, Houston Baptist
Morgan Carlson, A&M-Corpus Christi
Megan Nash, Central Arkansas
Autumn Lockley, UIW
Jordyn Vaughn, Sam Houston State
Brooke White, Sam Houston State
 
2016 Southland Volleyball Second Team All-Conference:
Jacey Smith, Abilene Christian
Madison Fitzsimmons, A&M-Corpus Christi
Taylor Cunningham, Sam Houston State
Blair Gillard, Houston Baptist
Lexus Cain, Stephen F. Austin
Bryaunea Hall, UIW
 
Katrinka Jo Crawford Coach of the Year: Steve Greene, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Player of the Year: Brittany Gilpin, A&M-Corpus Christi
Freshman of the Year: Ann Hollas, Stephen F. Austin
Newcomer of the Year: Madison Fitzsimmons, A&M-Corpus Christi
Libero of the Year: Kate Klepetka, A&M-Corpus Christi
Setter of the Year: Kristyn Nicholson, A&M-Corpus Christi
 
Honorable Mention: Channing Burleson, Northwestern State; Danae Daron, Stephen F. Austin; Ann Hollas, Stephen F. Austin; Elyssa Purcell, Southeastern La.; Samantha Anderson, Central Arkansas; Ashlee Vann, Houston Baptist; Bridget Justis, McNeese; Natalie Jaeger, Northwestern State; Lexi Mercier, Abilene Christian; Haley Tippett, Central Arkansas